The Land portion came after sea to Denali. The rail was fun to watch and listen to history but the narrator was sick and snarky and was short with folks who innocently interrupted his stories (what an egotist) McKinley chalet was great - make reservations for food in advance. Lines are a hassle. There's a Thai restaurant just outside on the main rd that looked real good. You could even get chinese takeout there too.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
pretty swift and painless. got to meet some cool folks. they had seating while we waited.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Dining rooms felt too cramped and they could not change our seating to our liking so we enjoyed the privacy of room service and went to the lido. Pinnacle Grill was the SLOWEST at serving us. Food good but way rich for us. Generally, they can make food well though.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Couldn't partake of the eve activities because they started a little late for us. Would have liked to have taken in early shows.
Greenhouse Spa & Salon
3 out of 5
Overall a lovely experience with quality products. As an ex-spa owner, they should have heated the wraps. It was uncomfortably COLD! Ambika was attentive and did a great job, adding freebies in. She gave a hard sell on products and I splurged on a couple. I'm happily still enjoying my skin care purchases. But make me cold during my spa time and I cannot give you a truly glowing review.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Saw the magician Jim and he was fantastic!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All were the best - Polite, smiling, attentive - except for the Pinnacle Grill.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
impeccable. although we somehow contracted gastroenteritis, despite all the cleanliness the ship and precautions we took. We think it may have been some bad fish of fish based soup from the lido asian kitchen. And a steward was sick after the first night. He may have left us a little something to breathe. We did land & sea and the land tour bus drivers were all sick with "cold going around". We got the flu upon landing home. It was bad. They should not have been working. Our doctor son says it takes 3-7 days to gestate such illness. It was in their care that we contracted. And we are not used to getting ill.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
upgraded to balcony suite. It was lovely, comfortable, ample. Best part - looking out and going out on our private balcony any time.
Ship tip
upgrade if you can. there are more perks to it. Check your daily bills and have anomalies addressed. it seems like they engineer the bills to add on what you should not be billed for. be careful and vigilant!
dirty city filled with homeless folks was a grim reminder that these problems are everywhere. If you want to just get away, stay on the boat or take an excursion. Not a very interesting port.
Always great to explore. Don't miss following the river up to the Native Heritage Center. If you have time, go out to Totem Bight. Sample fresh salmon and take it home.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
